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Wednesday, April 12, 2017

J is for JFK Assassination--Who Did It?

In Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, shots rang out, killing President Kennedy as he rode through Dealey Plaza in an uncovered limo. Who was responsible became one of the biggest conspiracy theories of all time.

As a kid, he moved around--a lot. Twenty-two different homes (including locations in New Orleans and Dallas) and 12 different schools by age 17, when he dropped out and joined the Marines in 1956. As a radar operator, he needed a security clearance which gave him access to classified data. By 1959 he was discharged to take care of his ailing mother. That same year he defected to Russia. Finding life there dull, he returned to the US in 1962 with his Russian wife, Marina. He was hired to work in the Texas School Book Depository filling orders less than two months before the assassination. Oswald was captured on November 22 after shooting and killing police officer J.D. Tippit. Soon after, he was also charged with Kennedy's murder.

Oswald claimed he was a patsy. Some believe he was working for the CIA all along and went to Russia as a spy. Two days after his arrest, on his way from police headquarters to jail, Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby and died in the same hospital that the President Kennedy had been taken to.

Ruby managed nightclubs, strip joints, and dance halls in the Dallas area, was suspected of involvement in prostitution rings, illegal gambling, and narcotics, and supposedly had ties to various mafia bosses.

Does this sound like the type of fellow to be so outraged over Kennedy's death that he'd toss his life away to shoot Oswald? That was Ruby's excuse. Later he would change his tune and claim he was framed to do it. He also let folks know his life was in danger and that, in particular, he had been injected with something that would give him cancer.

Ruby was convicted for Oswald's murder, but that sentence was overturned. Before a new trial could be held, Ruby went into the hospital for pneumonia. He died soon after, but guess what? The doctors found cancer in his lungs, liver and brain.

Why? Fighting communism, especially in Castro's Cuba, was a big deal. The CIA was interested in assassinating Castro, starting a war there, as well as escalating US involvement in Vietnam. Kennedy was saying no to false flag operations (dirty tricks to get US citizens to support wars, which will be discussed again with letter N).

Conspiracy Theory #2: The Mob did it.

The President's brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, was a threat to the mob. If John died, Robert's threat to the mob would be lessened significantly.

Also, the mob didn't want Castro in charge of Cuba any more than the CIA. They missed their lucrative casinos and other investments.

Conspiracy Theory #3: The CIA and Mob did it together.

The CIA wanted Castro dead. They even hired members of the Mob to give it a whack. When the Bay of Pigs didn't go as planned, both the CIA and the Mob were mad as heck--at Kennedy.

Conspiracy Theory #4: Lyndon Johnson did it.

According to this theory, Johnson was working with the CIA and tycoon's who were hoping a shift in power would mean more money in their pockets. One of those CIA folks was George H.W. Bush, who was in Dallas on the 22nd.

And there's plenty more, but I'll stop there. Have you studied the JFK assassination through movies or books? Do you know who did it?

14 comments:

Only through reading. I actually remember it - I was in about my second year of primary school at the time, but a good reader already so I read about it in the papers. I even remember the Jsck Ruby thing.

My best friend and I were obsessed with the JFK assassination from fifth grade on, and were determined to find out just who did it. It wasn't until 2009 that I finally accepted historical evidence indicated Oswald indeed played a role. I still think it's possible there may have been more going on, though the documented historical evidence seems pretty clear-cut.

I think Oswald did it, but I'm open to the idea that he was part of a larger scheme by someone — although I haven't any idea what the larger scenario was. I have read all of the above conspiracy theories. It's funny how some moments stand out in your life. I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news. And my first thought was, "No, no, that can't happen in 20th century America . . ." So sad.

and then there is Cuba... who knows, but I think Oswald did it. Whether or not he was working for someone else is a matter of opinion. This is my 911. I was in the first grade and it made an impression on me. I am not sure I even knew what the President was about before this event, but I did afterwards.

JFK was before my time. LHO did it, is what I know. I got to know of this world event through my mum when I was maybe 5-6, she is a great fan of Jacqueline, and I remember her talking about Mrs Kennedy when she married Aristotle Onassis. This is one conspiracy theory (or theories) that can't be mined as an opportunity for humour.

I used to be fascinated by this. Then I saw a doc on the History Channel (on one Nov. 22nd or another) about the assassination... and I was over it. And I was over conspiracy theories in general, too. I'm convinced they're all hoaxes.

(Are you doing Area 51 and Roswell and the alien autopsy? There's a great reason behind why that happened.)

Oh my goodness, OF COURSE you were going to talk about the JFK assassination! I have watched the movie countless times, and we visited Dallas a couple of years ago. A guy on the street sold us a magazine that said it was the government who wanted to get rid of JFK. What I want to know is: weren't there documents put in a safe place that were supposed to be released 50 years later? Well, where are they?

I will do everything in my power to visit commenter's blogs unless I've been abducted by aliens or my children get sick. (If my children get abducted by aliens, I will be very busy, of course, catching up on my sleep.)